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Aoimori Railway Line

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Aoimori Railway Line
Aoimori Railway 701 series EMU in September 2010
Overview
OwnerAomori Prefecture
LocaleAomori Prefecture, Japan
Termini
Stations26
Service
TypeRegional rail
Operator(s) Aoimori Railway
Rolling stockAoimori 701 series EMUs
Aoimori 703 series EMUs
History
Opened1 September 1891 (1891-09-01) (As part of the Nippon Railway)
1 December 2002 (2002-12-01) (As the Aoimori Railway Line between Metoki and Hachinohe)
4 December 2010 (2010-12-04) (As the Aoimori Railway Line between Hachinohe and Aomori)
Technical
Line length121.9 km (75.7 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification20 kV AC, 50 Hz overhead catenary
Route map

The Aoimori Railway Line (青い森鉄道線, Aoimori Tetsudō-sen) is a regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by third-sector railway company Aoimori Railway Company. It connects Metoki Station in Sannohe, the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, to Aomori Station in Aomori.

The Aoimori and Iwate Galaxy Railway Lines are former sections of the JR East Tōhoku Main Line (in Aomori Prefecture and Iwate Prefecture respectively) that connected Tokyo to Aomori. When the Tōhoku Shinkansen was opened (to Hachinohe on 1 December 2002 and to Shin-Aomori on 4 December 2010), the corresponding sections of the Tōhoku Main Line were transferred from East Japan Railway Company (JR East) to Aoimori Railway Company as the Aoimori Railway Line.[1]

While local passenger services on the line are operated by Aoimori Railway Company, JR East operates the Shimokita Rapid train along part of the line, and Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) (which owns a minority stake in Aoimori Railway Company) transports freight along the line. For maintenance work, the line relies on the services of the Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Company.[2]

Operation

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The Aoimori Railway Line is operated in two sections:[3]

No services commece or terminate at Metoki - all trains operate a through service to/from Morioka on the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line.[3]

JR East operates the Shimokita Rapid train between Hachinohe and Ōminato on the JR East Ōminato Line, using the Aoimori Railway Line between Hachinohe and Noheji. As of September 2025, three round trips per day operate.[4]

All services operated by Aoimori Railway Company (and through services on the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line) are Local trains, stopping at every station.[3]

Stations

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Station Japanese Distance (km)[5] Shimokita Transfers Location
Between
stations 		Total
↑ All trains operate a through service to/from Morioka Station on the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line ↑
Metoki 目時 - 0.0 Iwate Galaxy Railway Line (through service) Sannohe Aomori
Sannohe 三戸 5.5 5.5   Nanbu
Suwanotaira 諏訪ノ平 4.0 9.5  
Kenyoshi 剣吉 5.3 14.8  
Tomabechi 苫米地 3.4 18.2  
Kitatakaiwa 北高岩 2.8 21.0   Hachinohe
Hachinohe 八戸 4.9 25.9 ● Tōhoku Shinkansen, Hachinohe Line
Mutsu-Ichikawa 陸奥市川 6.9 32.8 |  
Shimoda 下田 4.2 37.0 ●   Oirase
Mukaiyama 向山 5.2 42.2 |  
Misawa 三沢 4.7 46.9 ●   Misawa
Kogawara 小川原 6.6 53.5 |   Tōhoku
Kamikitachō 上北町 3.9 57.4 ●  
Ottomo 乙供 6.9 64.3 |  
Chibiki 千曳 6.6 70.9 |  
Noheji 野辺地 6.4 77.3 ● Ōminato Line (Rapid through services) Noheji
Karibasawa 狩場沢 6.5 83.8   Hiranai
Shimizugawa 清水川 4.7 88.5  
Kominato 小湊 6.0 94.5  
Nishi-Hiranai 西平内 3.8 98.3  
Asamushi-Onsen 浅虫温泉 6.4 104.7   Aomori
Nonai 野内 6.5 111.2  
Yadamae 矢田前 1.5 112.7  
Koyanagi 小柳 2.0 114.7  
Higashi-Aomori 東青森 1.4 116.1  
Tsutsui 筒井 1.4 117.5  
Aomori 青森 4.4 121.9 Ōu Main Line, Tsugaru Line

Rolling stock and equipment

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The Aoimori Railway operates a fleet of 701 series two-car electric multiple units (EMUs). One set was built from new in September 2002, while eight more were transferred from JR East.[6]

Two new two-car Aoimori 703 series EMUs were delivered in November 2013 and introduced from the start of the 15 March 2014 timetable revision.[6]

Rolling stock on the Aoimori Railway Line

Future plans

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The site of the proposed station in April 2021.

The railway has been negotiating with the city of Aomori since December 2015 on a proposal to open a new station between Tsutsui Station and Aomori Station near the point at which the railway passes under Japan National Route 103.[7] The station would be part of a sports arena development for the 2025 National Sports Festival of Japan to be held in Aomori.[8] The neighborhood the station would serve is a primarily residential area, but it would also provide access to some busy shopping centers within walking distance to the station.[9] As of January 2021, no final decision has been made regarding the construction of the new station.[10]

History

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See also: Tōhoku Main Line

The predecessor to the Aoimori Railway Line was completed as the Metoki–Aomori portion of the Nippon Railway on 1 September 1891.[11] When the Nippon Railway was nationalized on 1 November 1906, it became part of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) system and was designated part of the Tōhoku Main Line on 12 October 1909.[12] With the privatization and dissolution of JNR on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of East Japan Railway Company (JR East).[13]

On 1 December 2002, with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen, the portion of the Tōhoku Main Line located in Iwate Prefecture became the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, and the portion in Aomori Prefecture from the Iwate border to Hachinohe Station became the Aoimori Railway Line.[14] With the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen extension to Shin-Aomori on 4 December 2010, the Tōhoku Main Line tracks between Hachinohe and Aomori were transferred from JR East to Aoimori Railway Company, resulting in the completion of the Aoimori Railway Line.[15]

Commencing in December 2010, coinciding with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori, JR East operated the Resort Asunaro sightseeing train between Hachinohe and Ōminato using the Aoimori Railway Line between Hachinohe and Noheji.[16] The last service operated on 20 August 2023.[17]

There have been a few new developments along the line since its transfer to Aoimori Railway Company. On 12 March 2012, Nonai Station was relocated 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) southwest of its original location. Tsutsui Station, near Aomori High School, was opened on 15 March 2014. Two-car Aoimori 703 series sets began operations on the line on the same day to handle the increased loads presented by the opening of Tsutsui Station.[18]

See also

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References

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  • Harris, Ken and Clarke, Jackie. Jane's World Railways 2008-2009. Jane's Information Group (2008). ISBN 0-7106-2861-7
  1. ^ authorName. "青い森鉄道線について | 青い森鉄道株式会社" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  2. ^ "事業内容" [Business Content] (in Japanese). Hachinohe Rinkai Railway Company. 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "a1a5868ce05ed45c0d3aeffa79f7152b.pdf" (PDF). Aoimori Railway (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  4. ^ ">Hachinohe Station Timetable（Aoimori Railway） (JR East)". Official Web site of East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  5. ^ JTB Timetable (April 2014) p. 592
  6. ^ a b Terada, Hirokazu (October 2014). 新幹線並行在来線 [Conventional railways running parallel with shinkansen lines]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 54, no. 642. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. p. 71.
  7. ^ "⻘森 操車場跡地利用計画" [Plan for the utilization of the Aomori Rail Yard] (PDF) (in Japanese). City of Aomori. March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. ^ "旧操車場跡地利用 有識者が会議" [Experts meet to discuss the need for a station at site]. NHK (in Japanese). 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  9. ^ "青い森セントラルパーク付近への新駅設置について" [Concerning the establishment of a new station near the Aoimori Central Park] (in Japanese). 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  10. ^ "青森操車場跡地に開業予定の新駅への青い森鉄道本社の移転について" [About the relocation of the Aoimori Railway Headquarters to the new station scheduled to open on the site of the Aomori Rail Yard]. Aomori Prefecture. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  11. ^ "駅や築港は国策に翻弄" [Stations and ports are at the mercy of national policy]. Mutsu Shimpō (in Japanese). 9 March 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  12. ^ 鐵道國有法  [Railway Nationalization Act] (in Japanese). Japan: Imperial Diet. 1906 – via Wikisource.
  13. ^ "日本国有鉄道の改革の実施に当たり河川管理上留意すべき事項について" [Matters to be noted in management when implementing the reform of the Japanese National Railways] (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 30 March 1987. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  14. ^ "青い森鉄道線について" [About the Aoimori Railway Line] (in Japanese). Aoimori Railway Co., Ltd. 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  15. ^ "JR東日本 東北本線八戸―青森間の廃止を届出" [JR East announces discontinuation of Tohoku Line between Hachinohe and Aomori]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 27 November 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  16. ^ "Resort Asunaro". East Japan Railway Company. January 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-07-22. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  17. ^ "JR東日本「リゾートあすなろ」最終運行はデビュー当初のコース再現 | マイナビニュース". news.mynavi.jp (in Japanese). 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  18. ^ Shuzo, Yui (16 March 2014). "青い森鉄道:初の新駅「筒井駅」開業 新型車両もデビュー" [First new station on Aoimori Railway, Tsutsui, opens. New trains also introduced.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
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